Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Behbahan

For one person, living is cheaper in Behbahan: $525 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Behbahan
Learn more

Behbahan Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Behbahan

🇮🇷 Iran

$525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Behbahan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Behbahan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $525 in Behbahan.

Medellin $1,639
Behbahan $525

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $803 in Behbahan.

Medellin $2,413
Behbahan $803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,082 in Behbahan.

Medellin $3,186
Behbahan $1,082

Living in Medellin is roughly 213% more expensive than in Behbahan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Behbahan is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.54 $4.54

78.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$12.93 $12.93

263.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$4.04 $4.04

135.15%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 $0.99

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.16 $1.16

159.48%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.66 $0.66

172.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.91 $0.91

54.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$0.67 $0.67

125.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.41 $0.41

480.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.98 $1.98

-10.61%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.22 $1.22

136.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$2.23 $2.23

356.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$2.22 $2.22

344.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$9.90 $9.90

41.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.07 $1.07

271.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.61 $1.61

-3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$0.90 $0.90

142.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$0.58 $0.58

275.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.57 $0.57

243.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.52 $0.52

205.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.51 $0.51

125.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.19 $0.19

552.63%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.82 $0.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 $0.57

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.04 $3.04

30.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.16 $0.16

631.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$10.17 $10.17

660.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.39 $0.39

225.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.22 $0.22

831.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$3.46 $3.46

147.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.08 $0.08

1587.50%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$64.3K $64.3K

-47.06%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$53.8K $53.8K

-35.58%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$170 COP 533.7K

$24.10 $24.10

603.94%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$2.07 $2.07

554.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$3.89 $3.89

621.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$20.20 $20.20

116.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$14.77 $14.77

16.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$2.01 $2.01

243.78%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$797 COP 2.5M

$104 $104

667.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$2,406 $2,406

278.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$23.08 $23.08

267.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$18.62 $18.62

211.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$93.5 $93.5

44.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$54.6 $54.6

79.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$322 $322

275.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$204 $204

214.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$766 $766

164.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$321 $321

214.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,027 $1,027

306.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$510 $510

274.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

24.3

-54.98%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Behbahan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Behbahan

$204 38.9% 68.2% $437

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Behbahan

$100 19% 66.4% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Behbahan

$30 5.7% 85.8% $181

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Behbahan

$69 13.1% 59.6% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Behbahan

$85 16.3% 49.5% $84

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Behbahan

$12 2.3% 86.9% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Behbahan

$24 4.6% 57.9% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $322 in Behbahan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $13 in Behbahan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $100 per month, with Behbahan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇷 Behbahan

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

00:50 12:50 AM

8 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

122,604

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Behbahan 12,950 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Behbahan

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Behbahan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Behbahan is about 68% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $787 in Behbahan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $322 in Behbahan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $525 in Behbahan – Behbahan is about 68% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Behbahan runs roughly 87% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $525 in Behbahan versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Behbahan but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Behbahan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Behbahan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.